A Taste of México: Wine Tasting in México’s Valle de Guadalupe

West Coast wine regions – think Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles – may get the lion’s share of exposure, but there is another part of the West that is rapidly making a name for itself in the wine world. And unless you live in Southern California or México, you may not have even heard of it.

Located in Baja California, Valle de Guadalupe is México’s wine country. You’ll find it just outside of the city of Ensenada, but still within the municipality of Ensenada. By car it is about 90 minutes south of the US-México border, and just under 2 hours from San Diego, California.

Valle de Guadalupe produces about 90% of the country’s wine. Depending on your source, there are somewhere between 120 and 200 wineries in “The Valle” alone, ranging from small boutiques to large commercial operations.

The history of wine in Valle de Guadalupe goes back to 1701 when Jesuit priest Juan Ugarte sowed the first vines in the area. Jump ahead to the late 1800s when immigrants fleeing conditions that led to the Russian Revolution came to the area. They established a colony in The Valle and planted a few grapes. Most of what you see now can be traced back to the arrival of those settlers.

Today’s wineries are part of what is collectively known as La Ruta del Vino, or The Wine Route. The main highway in The Valle is about 35 miles long and runs by most of the wineries in the region.

It is said the Mediterranean-like climate makes for perfect conditions to grow red wine grapes. A few varieties that don’t do as well north of the border seem to thrive in Valle de Guadalupe. Some white wine grape varieties also flourish in the area.

To go along with wine, Valle de Guadalupe has a burgeoning culinary scene featuring what’s called Baja Med cuisine. Many restaurants in the area have won prestigious awards for their fare. You can indulge in something as simple as a taco, or go all the way up to farm-to-table 6-course gourmet meals with your wine. Valle de Guadalupe even boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant in Deckman’s en El Mogor.

To accommodate the growing number of visitors to The Valle, a number of hotels have been built, some with the vineyard, winery, and restaurant(s) on site.

You can easily spend an afternoon, entire day, or long weekend exploring México’s wine country. We didn’t spend a weekend there, although I’d really like to. What we did was take a day tour called Baja Wine Tour that took us on a wine tasting excursion through Valle de Guadalupe. The tour picked us up in San Diego, California, took us across the border to visit three wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, then brought us back to San Diego.

We met Marco, our marvelous guide for the day, at the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. On the tour we visited:

L.A. Cetto

The legacy of L.A. Cetto Winery began in 1928 when Don Angelo Cetto came to Baja California from Italy. He immediately began planting vines and making wine. Don Luis Augustin Cetto took over the reins in the 1960s when his father Don Angelo retired. He began a modernization program and in 1975 founded L.A. Cetto Winery. If you visit the winery today, you’ll find Luis Alberto Cetto at the helm.

L.A. Cetto has won numerous awards, and continues to prosper under its third generation of family ownership. In 95 years of operation, they have become México’s largest wine producer.This was my second time visiting L.A. Cetto. The first time was in 2012. Back then the tasting was held indoors. Our tasting took place outside this time. Aside from new signage and a few other upgrades, the winery looked much like I remembered it.

Interestingly enough, there’s a bullring on the property. The bullring, called Plaza de Toros Guadalupe, was inaugurated in 1994. From the bullring you have an expansive, beautiful view of the property and the valley below. If you have time, I highly recommend taking a stroll up there.

One of the first questions I asked our server, Arturo, was what is going on with the bullring. He told me that due to pressure from animal rights groups, they had to stop having bullfights. Understandable. But I have to admit I was a bit disappointed to hear that.

Arturo introduced himself and began his presentation. We tasted:

• Don Luis Cetto 2020 Viognier Reserve Selection – This was my first time trying a viognier. I’m not sure how to describe this one as I really haven’t tried anything close to this. But I will say I’d like to pair it with something to get a better idea of its possibilities.
• 2020 Chardonnay Private Reserve – Very buttery. Veeeery buttery. More so than any other chardonnay I’ve tasted. It was also less acidic, thus smoother than most chardonnays. I regret not buying a bottle when I had the chance. Pro tip: Don’t make the same mistake I did. If you like this chardonnay, buy it while you’re there. You may find it in a store back home but it will most likely be more expensive.
• Don Luis Cetto 2017 Terra Red Wine Blend Reserve Selection
• 2018 Petite Sirah Private Reserve
• Experimental wine – This one is a “pet nat”, or Pétillant Naturel. Even though it is not ready to sell, we were allowed to sample it. In its state as we tried it, it is a cloudy pink, unfiltered sparkling wine with a slightly sweet flavor. Arturo explained that even though it tastes great now (he was right; it does taste great now!), it still needs to age more. If they bottled it now, during the night it would blow the cork off the bottle.

If you can’t make it out to L.A. Cetto in person, their wines are available internationally in the US, Canada, and in several countries in Europe.

Hacienda Guadalupe

Hacienda Guadalupe is the creation of Daniel Sanchez and Gabriela “Gaby” Melchum. Originally from Ensenada, they decided to move to California, but continued to make trips back home. Eventually, they moved back to Ensenada and in 2008 opened Hacienda Guadalupe.

Hacienda Guadalupe has a beautiful tasting room. Arched floor-to-ceiling windows frame a stunning view of much of the valley. White seems to be the color theme of the room. Even the furniture is white.

The tasting was kind of informal. We roamed around the large tasting room as the servers poured, taking our seats to sample the wine as they described each one. Here’s what we sampled:

• Gigi – 2021 Sauvignon Blanc
• Gaby – 2020 Rosé
• El Caporal – 2019 Mezcla de Tintos (Red wine blend)

After the tasting, our hosts suggested we go up on the rooftop for a different perspective. We climbed a couple of flights of stairs to the roof (they have rooftop tastings, too) and were rewarded with a commanding view of the property, which includes the hotel and restaurant below, and an expansive view of the valley.

We then learned we’d be having lunch at Hacienda Guadalupe. If the dining area looked as good as the tasting room, we knew we’d be in for a great time. And we were not disappointed.

The restaurant has a patio, but we were ushered inside instead. Inside were a number of tables in what resembled an indoor patio. The open-air design provided an unobstructed view of the garden and vineyard, plus had the added bonus of allowing a slight cooling breeze to waft through the room.

Regional cooking is Hacienda Guadalupe’s specialty. This is very apparent in the menu selections. As we waited for our meal, our server, Macias, arrived with a pitcher of sangria. The top layer was blood red. The bottom layer was the color of lemonade. Using a bartender spoon, Macias deftly and deliberately swirled the sangria, stirring the drink until the bottom layer dissolved. He then filled our glasses with the sangria. That sangria was like putting icing on the cake of our visit.

As Macias mixed and poured the sangria, Marco said he would give him a tip if he sang for us. As much as Marco teased and cajoled, Macias refused to take the bait. A member of our group had just celebrated a birthday, so I began singing “Las Mañanitas” and “Felidades”. Both Marco and Macias joined in and sang along. (Since I started and sang both songs, I should get Macias’ tip that Marco joked about, shouldn’t I?)

Our lunch was delicious! Fresh ingredients. Portions were of a nice size. Lunch did double duty: First, it satisfied our hunger. Second, it helped absorb all of the wine we’ve had so far on the tour. My lunch was so good I wanted another serving, but had to pass. Even though the pace was relaxed, we did have a schedule to stick to.

El Cielo

I wasn’t sure what to make of El Cielo Resort when we first pulled up. From the large parking lot, you walk up to the gate. From there you are greeted by olive, palm, and cypress trees, and vineyards several yards away. Then you notice the scooters. (Strange seeing scooters at a vineyard, right?) Over to your left, the large hacienda dominates.

El Cielo sits on around 71 acres. Amenities on the property include a pool, a lake, two restaurants, and a luxury hotel. There are various experiences besides just tastings, such as tours of the property by scooter (so that’s what the scooters are for), and a tour of the vineyard by a tractor-pulled covered hay wagon.

As you can see, El Cielo has a lot going for it. We only saw a small portion.

Our tasting was held outdoors on the large terrace. (Vineyard and cave tastings are available as well.) Several other groups were also seated out there when we arrived. I noticed the massive stone outdoor fireplace nearby flanked by Adirondack chairs. I would love to sip and dine out there on a summer evening.

Included with our tasting were three different wines showcasing a small sampling of the wines El Cielo has available. El Cielo’s range encompasses around 30 different wines from eight different collections, including a collection of several sparkling wines. The wines in each collection are named for stars, constellations, astronomers, etc., a theme which fits the winery’s name (El Cielo means “the heavens”).

We tasted:

• Halley – 2019 Chardonnay
• Selene – 2019 Rosé
• Eclipse – 2019 Red Blend

During our tasting, one of the free-roaming peacocks wandered by our table on the terrace.  I’ve seen cats and dogs roaming vineyards – presumably there to keep rodents in check – but never a peacock. Somehow it fit in with the surroundings.

In between each serving, we had a few minutes to enjoy the wines and converse while our server attended to some of the other guests. I took the opportunity to run down to the small outdoor café next to the terrace. There, on the homemade rotisserie, arranged and tied front to front on opposite sides of a rack, two whole butterflied pigs lay roasting.

 An order of roast pork came with plenty of tortillas and all the fixins for tacos, including several different salsas. I couldn’t pass up a chance to have this in México. But the huge portions gave me pause. Nevertheless, I knew if I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity now, I’d regret it for years to come. So I bought an order of roast pork and shared it with our group. They offered to pay me back but I declined. Their smiles, coupled with the experience of this feast, at this winery, in this part of México, on a day as beautiful as this one, was payment enough. We ate the meal paired with our final glass of wine, the Eclipse Red Blend. And we didn’t leave our driver out; someone in our group made a couple of tacos for Marco and presented them to him when we returned to the van.

On the ride back to San Diego, Marco and I talked about some good places to eat along México’s Pacific Coast between Rosarito and Ensenada. The others in our group? Snoozing away. Knocked out almost as soon as we hit the highway. Marco and I were having such a good conversation that it wasn’t until we stopped for a bio break that I realized I should have been napping, too. I had been up since 5:00 am and faced a three-hour drive home (on a full stomach) once we got back to San Diego around 7:00 pm.

Over the years, I’ve talked with several people who enjoy wine and visiting Ensenada but had no idea Valle de Guadalupe even existed, let alone that there are any wineries there. I tell them (and now you), yes, Valle de Guadalupe is one of México’s wine-growing regions. Yes, you can go wine tasting in México’s Valle de Guadalupe. Yes, you’ll find countless excellent wines there. And yes, you should definitely visit.

Whether you make it a day trip or spend a weekend or longer, if you enjoy wine, or would even just like to take a nice excursion into a beautiful countryside, do not miss México’s Valle de Guadalupe.

Getting There

Driving down from San Diego is one option. Make sure you buy Mexican insurance as US insurance is no longer in effect once you cross the border into México. Check with your car insurance company to see if you can purchase a Mexican insurance policy through them.

Taking a tour from San Diego is another option. They’ll take you across the border, take you on the tour, and bring you back across the border to San Diego. I prefer these tours because they’re usually a bit faster crossing the border, and the drivers know a few tricks. You can also take a tour from Tijuana or Ensenada.

Pro tip: Most of the wineries on La Ruta del Vino are on dirt roads, and many of them are not marked. Although you can just drive up a road and encounter a good winery, I would suggest making a list of the wineries you want to visit before you head out to Ensenada. Or, once you’re in Ensenada, you can ask the tourism office or the staff at your hotel for recommendations.